I think getting hung up on “Better”/“Worse” is a value judgement and is detrimental to mutual understanding.
Yeltsin was a grifter who sold out his country, deliberately caused an economic collapse that killed millions, in order to enrich himself and his class allies.
Putin is a right-wing nationalist who seeks to build a strong, stable Russia; but one where the Capitalists and oligarchs still hold supreme power.
Yeltsin completely sold out Russia to the Capitalists, especially to foreign international finance Capital; Putin seeks to soothe class antagonisms to maintain the system as it exists.
Curious if you could elaborate on what he’s said or done that’s inconsistent with nationalism?
My initial reaction was “well of course he is, not an ultra-nationalist, but definitely a nationalist” but I’m having trouble finding concrete reasons or examples that “click” in my brain to explain one way or the other
I feel like Putin manages to thread the needle between the good kind of anti imperialist nationalism they have in Cuba or Vietnam with the bog standard bad kind of nationalism
I’m not using the word as a pejorative. Putin is not an ethno- nationalist. His political ideology includes the objective of creating a strong Russia.
This is opposed to an internationalist - someone who believes in (typically) class solidarity across national borders, whether that’s the international working class or global finance capital. Or, of course, people who are wholly self-interested or seek to sell out their nation as a whole for the benefit of a small group.
I think getting hung up on “Better”/“Worse” is a value judgement and is detrimental to mutual understanding.
Yeltsin was a grifter who sold out his country, deliberately caused an economic collapse that killed millions, in order to enrich himself and his class allies.
Putin is a right-wing nationalist who seeks to build a strong, stable Russia; but one where the Capitalists and oligarchs still hold supreme power.
Yeltsin completely sold out Russia to the Capitalists, especially to foreign international finance Capital; Putin seeks to soothe class antagonisms to maintain the system as it exists.
Right wing? Yes, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call him nationalist
Curious if you could elaborate on what he’s said or done that’s inconsistent with nationalism?
My initial reaction was “well of course he is, not an ultra-nationalist, but definitely a nationalist” but I’m having trouble finding concrete reasons or examples that “click” in my brain to explain one way or the other
I feel like Putin manages to thread the needle between the good kind of anti imperialist nationalism they have in Cuba or Vietnam with the bog standard bad kind of nationalism
I’m not using the word as a pejorative. Putin is not an ethno- nationalist. His political ideology includes the objective of creating a strong Russia.
This is opposed to an internationalist - someone who believes in (typically) class solidarity across national borders, whether that’s the international working class or global finance capital. Or, of course, people who are wholly self-interested or seek to sell out their nation as a whole for the benefit of a small group.